Man With an Axe [Paperback]

Jon A. Jackson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Publishers Group West/Grove (1998)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0015011N4
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Boppin' With Cool Jazz, December 2, 2001

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man with an Axe: A Detective Sergeant Mullheisen Mystery (Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mysteries) (Paperback)

"Max With An Axe" is Mr. Jackson's 7th "Fang" Mulheisen's novel. The story is soaked with music and is pure Detroit. As a first-time reader of Mr. Jackson with no knowledge of Detroit and not near as much jazz intelligence as I thought I had; I felt very much the latecomer to the party. This series is one that definitely should be read in order. However, this may require some perseverance because many of the earlier books are out of print. The endeavor would be worthwhile because Mr. Jackson is a writer with a difference. He has a smoky, almost opaque flavor that is very addictive.

The story has a good hook, i.e., "what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa?" The tale is very plausible; one that getting there is half the fun. The characters are indelible, not a hero in the bunch. "Fang" so-called because of his wolverine smile (?) is an edgy cop, always faintly dissatisfied with himself. He'd like to be totally stone (he loves his nickname), yet be seen as a cultured man. He tries to quickly and subtly convince an educated acquaintance of his equal intellectuality. Unfortunately, subtlety is not Fang's long suit. You need to acquaint yourself quickly with many of the characters, because a goodly number are not going to be around very long. Mr. Jackson doesn't telegraph his punches, and you are as surprised as the victims at their sudden demise. The author has a knack for women characters; he is one of the few who lets them first develop as people, then gradually develops their feminine aspect, first and foremost how it affects themselves and secondly its effect on others. I consider this unusual.

This is an enjoyable multi-layered novel. It requires some thought and insight by the reader and engenders empathy with some fairly low-life types. Recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If Jackson only wrote for the Sopranos, March 8, 2004

By 

Michael Moore (Statesboro,, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Man with an Axe: A Detective Sergeant Mullheisen Mystery (Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mysteries) (Paperback)

Think of how much fun that would be. I started reading Jackson when he first started and would catch back up to him every four or five years. So I am catching back up. It was great to see Grootka resurrected and so in character. This novel is a lot of fun with all the Jackson trademarks of character, Detroit life, music, etc. The only other writer in this genre who I think is as good as Jackson in similar ways (DC life and popular culture) is George Pelacanos. If you are new to this author don't start here. It pays to start at the beginning simply because it is more fun that way.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man with an Axe, July 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Man with an Axe: A Detective Sergeant Mullheisen Mystery (Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mysteries) (Paperback)

I loved this book, I am originally from Detroit, and I found this to be a very, well written book, the author obviously loves Detroit and does a credible job of describing Detorit in the 1970's.